Louis Crevier may be the newest name on the Buffalo Sabres’ blue line, but he could also be one of the smartest early bets the team can make.
With Buffalo dealing with injuries to Mattias Samuelsson, Olen Zellweger and Conor Timmins, the 6-foot-8 defenseman has climbed quickly into a much bigger role. He could be skating next to captain Rasmus Dahlin on the top pair Thursday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. If Samuelsson, who was initially listed week-to-week with a lower-body injury, can’t go, Crevier is the most likely option to fill that spot.
That possibility is no fluke. The 25-year-old Canadian had been putting together a strong training camp before the injury wave hit the Sabres, and head coach Lindy Ruff’s decision to bump him up the depth chart came naturally. Now that Crevier is suddenly looking like more than just a depth piece, Buffalo has a real contract question on its hands.
Should the Sabres move now?
It’s the kind of decision NHL teams are facing more often as the salary cap keeps rising and extension prices keep jumping. Sign a player early, before the breakout really lands, and the price can still be manageable. Wait too long, and the cost can get out of hand fast.
For Crevier, AFP Analytics projected earlier this offseason a three-year, $11.45 million extension with a $3.82 million average annual value based on his three seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks. He came to Buffalo in June as part of the blockbuster Bowen Byram trade, and that number would likely look a little light now after an offseason full of eye-popping contracts across the league. Still, something in the $4 million range would make sense for Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekalainen.
Crevier already showed he can survive real minutes. Last season with Chicago, he mostly held his own when pushed into top-four work with the struggling Blackhawks.
With his size, skating and physical edge, he fits the profile of a right-shot defenseman who can handle more than a sheltered role. Players like that are not easy to replace, and if he keeps trending up, his next deal could land much closer to a premium number.
That’s why an extension now makes sense.
Buffalo already has four defensemen signed for the foreseeable future in Dahlin, Samuelsson, Zellweger and Owen Power. The organization is also counting on its two top defensive prospects, Daxon Rudolph and Radim Mrtka, to help fill out the rest of the picture over the next year or two. On paper, that gives the Sabres a strong backbone on the blue line.
But a team trying to move into true Stanley Cup contender territory can’t live only on projections.
Rudolph is coming off a huge year with the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders, piling up 78 points - 28 goals and 50 assists - in 68 games and putting himself in position to be taken fourth overall by Buffalo in the 2026 NHL Draft. The next test is whether he can carry that production into his freshman season at the University of Denver against older, tougher competition.
Mrtka’s path is different. Buffalo took him ninth overall in the 2025 draft, but his first season didn’t bring much offensive growth.
He scored one goal in 48 games across the regular season and playoffs for the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. He still brings intrigue because of his 6-foot-6 frame and his all-around game, but he is still well away from the finish line as he heads to the AHL’s Rochester Americans.
That’s the reality Buffalo has to plan for: the prospect pipeline might eventually work out beautifully, but not everyone arrives on schedule.
Crevier gives the Sabres something useful right now, and something useful later. He can handle third-pair minutes, step into a larger role when needed and, if Rudolph and Mrtka become ready for the NHL, he would also be a movable asset on a team-friendly deal. He becomes a restricted free agent next summer and could reach unrestricted free agency as early as 2028.
There’s also a practical reason to move now. If Buffalo waits until next summer, Crevier would be joining a crowded RFA picture that already includes Jiri Kulich, Jack Quinn and Colten Ellis.
So even with just one game in a Sabres uniform on the horizon, Crevier already looks like the kind of player worth keeping around longer. For Buffalo, an early extension could end up looking very wise.
In Other News...
Former Sabres Just Revived A Brutal Question For Buffalo
The first night of the 2026-27 NHL season served up an uncomfortable reminder for Buffalo, with a cluster of former Sabres immediately making an impact elsewhere. Jordan Greenway got on the board for the Chicago Blackhawks, JJ Peterka scored for the Boston Bruins, and Jack Eichel and Victor Olofsson each found the net for the Vegas Golden Knights, a sharp start that put a familiar ex-Sabres problem back in focus.
For Buffalo, the bigger issue is not just that these players moved on, but that they wasted no time looking at home in their new sweaters. Eichels and Olofssons goals came in Vegas, while Greenway and Peterka added theirs in separate debuts that only deepened the sense that the Sabres are still carrying around the same old question about talent development and what happens after players leave Western New York. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Already Face An Opening Night Blue Line Problem
The Sabres are heading into the season with an early blue line question before they even get through opening night. Buffalos defense was already under a spotlight, and now the team has to start the year without Olen Zellweger, who is dealing with concussion protocol at the worst possible time for a group trying to find its footing right away.
There is at least some hope the absence does not stretch long. Zellweger could be back in time for Saturdays home opener against Chicago, which would give Buffalo a quick boost if he clears in time. Until then, the Sabres will have to manage the opener shorthanded on defense while other teams in the division are already dealing with their own injury news, including the Islanders waiting on Mathew Barzal and the Blackhawks being without Andrew Mangiapane. [Read more 🡒]
Jessica Pegula Just Opened A New Buffalo Sports Conversation
Jessica Pegula spent part of a CNBC Sport interview looking past the baseline and into the next chapter, and for Buffalo fans it was hard not to hear the bigger implication. The tennis star, who has long been tied to one of the citys most prominent sports families, made it clear she has an eye on staying in the sporting world once her playing days are done.
What made the comment resonate locally is where that future could lead, even if nothing is imminent. Pegula said she may help her family run the Bills after her tennis career ends, a thought that naturally invites fresh conversation about how deeply the Pegula familys influence could continue to shape Buffalo sports, and in what role she might eventually fit. [Read more 🡒]